@Gil Scott-Heroin, my bad, I don't think I read that, there was a lot of arguing going on for a few pages, my bad breh...
A Wiseman Told Me Never Argue With Fools: Official 2021 Warriors Season Thread
- Thread starter G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
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Sohh...
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/the-official-2020-nba-draft-talk-thread-11-18.780804/page-24
Looks like the Wolves brehs are still deciding who to take in the mock.
What are our picks, depending on how they draft? I'm assuming we're keeping the pick in this.
Here's mine:
Wiseman
Edwards
Deni
Thoughts?
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/the-official-2020-nba-draft-talk-thread-11-18.780804/page-24
Looks like the Wolves brehs are still deciding who to take in the mock.
What are our picks, depending on how they draft? I'm assuming we're keeping the pick in this.
Here's mine:
Wiseman
Edwards
Deni
Thoughts?
G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
Steph been making moves. Last week he had Bill Gates on and today it's Dr. Fauci
sidenikkagawd
We want all the smoke
1. Wiseman
2. Edwards
3. LaMelo
I really want Wiseman cuz I feel like he got crazy potential based off them workout videos I seen with him shooting and handling the ball
G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
Every day we see another report on whom the Warriors might pick with the No. 2 draft choice in the upcoming NBA Draft. So far, the smartest money appears to be on James Wiseman, he of three career college games played at Memphis. On the Warriors Plus-Minus podcast, the Wiseman momentum is undeniable. At last count, we have Tim Kawakami, Marcus Thompson and Anthony Slater all aboard the James Wiseman Wagon. I am the last holdout, due to my suspicion regarding centers picked near the top of the draft and the underwhelming assessment I gave his lone high-level college game versus Oregon.
But many of those conversations happened prior to the latter stages of the postseason. There have been developments since. Namely, many of us went from assuming ultimate victory for the wing-powered Clippers to seeing Nikola Jokić and his Will Ferrell physique power its way to the Western Conference finals. From there, we saw Anthony Davis ascend even higher, dunking all over the comparatively lilliputian Heat front line in the NBA Finals.
Has the calculus changed? For what it’s worth, Steve Kerr has been one to worry about upcoming center matchups in the playoffs. During the Warriors’ dynastic run, Kerr would rattle off names of the rising bigs out West as a concern worth addressing. It’s doubtful that those concerns have been quelled.
The Warriors are in an unusual position in this draft. They aren’t a true cellar dweller who must take “Best Player Available” no matter what. They also don’t have a glaring positional weakness, unless you believe that the wheels have truly fallen off for Draymond Green or that Andrew Wiggins is going to severely underperform what he did in his short stint with the Warriors last season. Both outcomes are plausible, but no gap right now is enough to demand the Warriors’ attention to any one area. So this seems like the right setup for the Warriors to draft not necessarily for positional need, but for oppositional need. As in, if you expect to keep facing Davis and Jokić year after year, and that they will be standing between you and the Finals, that’s perhaps the biggest issue to address.
It’s an issue that runs counter to how the league has been going. Basketball is getting shorter and faster of late. It just appears that, no matter how swift the competition gets, it might not be quick enough to outrun the long reach of one Anthony Davis.
Which brings us back to Wiseman. Again, I was not particularly impressed by his very short college stint. At the same time, he has the physical tools. At 7-foot-1, 240 pounds, he has a frame that appears comparable to Joel Embiid or Rudy Gobert. I say “appears” because we are working without a real NBA combine right now and must rely on reports, to a degree. Plus, Wiseman “appears” to be huge.
Big-man battles, as I learned doing my gambling column, often go like a decisive game of Rock Paper Scissors. Big-man matchups go more decisively than matchups between wings perhaps because big men, once stymied, are a little less prone to keep calling for the ball. From the gambling column:
“Marc Gasol gives Joel Embiid problems, Embiid gives Anthony Davis problems, Davis gives Drummond problems (among many other bigs), and Drummond owns the aforementioned Towns matchup. Drummond is also stymied by Steven Adams, whose rugged style of defense is muted by the idiosyncratic offense Nikola Jokić orchestrates.”
The aforementioned Davis will get his numbers against almost anyone, but watch what happens when a guy as large, strong and quick as Embiid checks him:
For what it’s worth, in four career games going against Embiid, Davis shot a dismal 36 percent from the field. Having watched the last of those meetings, I can say that Embiid does a wonderful job shoving Davis off his preferred spots and making him uncomfortable. In the event that the Doc Rivers’ honeymoon ends quickly in Philadelphia, Embiid’s AD-frustrating capabilities are worth remembering.
As for the other Western behemoth of concern — Jokić — Gobert gave him some trouble this postseason. Jokić and the Nuggets ultimately prevailed over seven games, but Gobert’s length frustrated Jokić’s perimeter passing game and offered resistance to Jokić’s drives.
There is, obviously, no guarantee that Wiseman turns into either one of these guys defensively. We just know that he has physical tools that constitute a prerequisite for getting there, tools which 99 percent of even NBA players lack.
So am I on the Wiseman Wagon along with my colleagues? I’m not quite there, but the 2020 playoffs changed things. Wings were king, but the game is always evolving. Now, to get back into contention, the Warriors likely need to resolve their literally biggest obstacles. James Wiseman could be the guy to do that. In an uncertain draft, that’s at least enough to justify a No. 2 pick, regardless of whether I, or anyone else, prefers another option.
But many of those conversations happened prior to the latter stages of the postseason. There have been developments since. Namely, many of us went from assuming ultimate victory for the wing-powered Clippers to seeing Nikola Jokić and his Will Ferrell physique power its way to the Western Conference finals. From there, we saw Anthony Davis ascend even higher, dunking all over the comparatively lilliputian Heat front line in the NBA Finals.
Has the calculus changed? For what it’s worth, Steve Kerr has been one to worry about upcoming center matchups in the playoffs. During the Warriors’ dynastic run, Kerr would rattle off names of the rising bigs out West as a concern worth addressing. It’s doubtful that those concerns have been quelled.
The Warriors are in an unusual position in this draft. They aren’t a true cellar dweller who must take “Best Player Available” no matter what. They also don’t have a glaring positional weakness, unless you believe that the wheels have truly fallen off for Draymond Green or that Andrew Wiggins is going to severely underperform what he did in his short stint with the Warriors last season. Both outcomes are plausible, but no gap right now is enough to demand the Warriors’ attention to any one area. So this seems like the right setup for the Warriors to draft not necessarily for positional need, but for oppositional need. As in, if you expect to keep facing Davis and Jokić year after year, and that they will be standing between you and the Finals, that’s perhaps the biggest issue to address.
It’s an issue that runs counter to how the league has been going. Basketball is getting shorter and faster of late. It just appears that, no matter how swift the competition gets, it might not be quick enough to outrun the long reach of one Anthony Davis.
Which brings us back to Wiseman. Again, I was not particularly impressed by his very short college stint. At the same time, he has the physical tools. At 7-foot-1, 240 pounds, he has a frame that appears comparable to Joel Embiid or Rudy Gobert. I say “appears” because we are working without a real NBA combine right now and must rely on reports, to a degree. Plus, Wiseman “appears” to be huge.
Big-man battles, as I learned doing my gambling column, often go like a decisive game of Rock Paper Scissors. Big-man matchups go more decisively than matchups between wings perhaps because big men, once stymied, are a little less prone to keep calling for the ball. From the gambling column:
“Marc Gasol gives Joel Embiid problems, Embiid gives Anthony Davis problems, Davis gives Drummond problems (among many other bigs), and Drummond owns the aforementioned Towns matchup. Drummond is also stymied by Steven Adams, whose rugged style of defense is muted by the idiosyncratic offense Nikola Jokić orchestrates.”
The aforementioned Davis will get his numbers against almost anyone, but watch what happens when a guy as large, strong and quick as Embiid checks him:
For what it’s worth, in four career games going against Embiid, Davis shot a dismal 36 percent from the field. Having watched the last of those meetings, I can say that Embiid does a wonderful job shoving Davis off his preferred spots and making him uncomfortable. In the event that the Doc Rivers’ honeymoon ends quickly in Philadelphia, Embiid’s AD-frustrating capabilities are worth remembering.
As for the other Western behemoth of concern — Jokić — Gobert gave him some trouble this postseason. Jokić and the Nuggets ultimately prevailed over seven games, but Gobert’s length frustrated Jokić’s perimeter passing game and offered resistance to Jokić’s drives.
There is, obviously, no guarantee that Wiseman turns into either one of these guys defensively. We just know that he has physical tools that constitute a prerequisite for getting there, tools which 99 percent of even NBA players lack.
So am I on the Wiseman Wagon along with my colleagues? I’m not quite there, but the 2020 playoffs changed things. Wings were king, but the game is always evolving. Now, to get back into contention, the Warriors likely need to resolve their literally biggest obstacles. James Wiseman could be the guy to do that. In an uncertain draft, that’s at least enough to justify a No. 2 pick, regardless of whether I, or anyone else, prefers another option.
BlaqkSpliffin
Ni**as Still Weird - Me
Strauss talking bout how Embiid gives AD problems defensively due to his size and mobility and how Wiseman fits a similar profile. I wonder why no one's ever thought of that before?
yea is a fuking miracle that you need 7 footer to match another 7 footerStrauss talking bout how Embiid gives AD problems defensively due to his size and mobility and how Wiseman fits a similar profile. I wonder why no one's ever thought of that before?
BlaqkSpliffin
Ni**as Still Weird - Me
Like this isn't rocket science
Playoff teams and their starting Centers:
Bucks: Brooke Lopez
Celtics: Daniel Theis
Raptors: Marc Gasol/Serge Ibaka
Pacers:Myles Turner
Heat: Bam Adebayo
76ers: Joel Embiid
Nets: Jarrett Allen/DeAndre Jordan
Magic: Nikola Vucevic
Lakers: Javale McGee/AD
Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic/Hassan Whiteside
Rockets: PJ Tucker
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic
Thunder: Steven Adams
Jazz: Rudy Gobert
Mavericks: Dwayne Powell/Kristaps Porzingis
People have overblown the whole "You don't need a center to win" shyt just like the NFL overblown the whole "running backs aren't valuable" shyt. Celtics and Rockets both proved that this year. Warriors got by on not having a legit center those last couple years by having KD who is 7 feet and can rim protect. That's rare as hell. League average contract for center's is around 15-18 million per year. Wiseman would be around 9 for the next 4 years.
Controversy
Superstar
Like this isn't rocket science
Playoff teams and their starting Centers:
Bucks: Brooke Lopez
Celtics: Daniel Theis
Raptors: Marc Gasol/Serge Ibaka
Pacers:Myles Turner
Heat: Bam Adebayo
76ers: Joel Embiid
Nets: Jarrett Allen/DeAndre Jordan
Magic: Nikola Vucevic
Lakers: Javale McGee/AD
Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic/Hassan Whiteside
Rockets: PJ Tucker
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic
Thunder: Steven Adams
Jazz: Rudy Gobert
Mavericks: Dwayne Powell/Kristaps Porzingis
People have overblown the whole "You don't need a center to win" shyt just like the NFL overblown the whole "running backs aren't valuable" shyt. Celtics and Rockets both proved that this year. Warriors got by on not having a legit center those last couple years by having KD who is 7 feet and can rim protect. That's rare as hell. League average contract for center's is around 15-18 million per year. Wiseman would be around 9 for the next 4 years.
I understand what you were trying to get at with GS, but Draymond was their defensive anchor, not KD. He's a very unique case tho.
Recca Gatsby
LWO
Could see yall getting Whiteside or Baynes
Controversy
Superstar
This will sound crazy, but I think Dubs best bet is trading #2 pick and Wiggins to Philly for Horford & Josh Richardson. Use MLE to sign someone like Jae Crowder. Sign Dwight too.
Jesus Christ. I hope the Warriors draft Wiseman just so some of y'all can fall on the sword of y'all own stupidity.
G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman
Logic Is Absent Wherever Hate Is Present
We're broke in regards to signing anyone outside the TPMLE
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